Easiest Ways to Reduce Stress and Body Tension

Stop suffering from symptoms that jeopardize your health and beauty with these easy aromatherapy and reflexology tips

Let's start with the obvious assertion that the world we live in is a hectic and overwhelming place. Now let's move on to the less appropriate reaction we often have to this frenzied existence: total freak-out, meltdown, why-me?, fists-banging-on-the-floor tantrums that are scarily as reckless as Britney Spears shaving her head (a health and beauty cry for help that landed her, among other celebrities, in The Biggest Beauty Blunders of All Time photo gallery). Or, even more dramatic, we suffer from depression, over eating, insomnia and a host of other serious side effects from the heart-attack king known as "stress." See how to relieve stress and body tension now.

Not only is stress bad for our brain, our body and our heart; it's bad for our beauty. Seriously, your natural beauty can't shine through when you're experiencing body tension and stress-induced anxiety, which causes wrinkles, acne and other skin care issues that even the best makeup can't hide. Simply, your health and beauty are at risk when you are stressed out.

But what's a busy gal, who's concerned about her health and beauty, to do? We are expected to have as many balls in the air as Bozo the Clown and we are supposed to look way better than he does doing it. Fair? Not quite. Unfortunately we can't stop the constant emails, or ask our bosses to lay off a bit. Stress and tension are facts of this crazy life.

So before you bite your nails into stubs, break a capillary or have a meltdown cry fest on your tiled bathroom floor (it happens to the best of us), try these tried and true ways to make your life less stressful through aromatherapy (the use of essential oils to fight stress) and reflexology (an ancient alternative medicine that can relieve body tension through pressure points on the body) and reap the health and beauty benefits they provide.

Before you can use these essential oils, you have to know which oils work to relieve stress. Here is a quick cheat sheet of oils you can find at health food stores (think Whole Foods) or a spa:

Now check out these tips from Lather founder and aromatherapist, Emilie Davidson Hoyt, so you can use these oils to the best of their abilities, then see how reflexologist, Cristina Lipka, uses simple tricks to reduce stress and body tension.